There is no single formula for how to engage with Kraka. Depending on the specific task and client organisation, we work with the client to determine how best to use the resources and accomplish something worthwhile.

There is also no lower or upper bound on the size of a contract; if you need just a little push forward, requiring only a day of consulting, that's what we will provide. In the past some contracts have been for short intensive studies and explorations; others have covered a regular, but low-volume engagement over several months.

 

Bringing user data to technology

Most IT organizations recognize that knowledge about prospective use and users is extremely valuable, but they are struggling with how to transform data into knowledge, how to translate the use data into the language of design and development.

Kraka has developed processes and mechanisms for handling this "translation" problem and, leveraging our extensive experience in both technology and ethnography, we are able to guide our clients though this difficult process.

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Bringing technology to users

We help clients organize "constructive deployment" of technology prototypes, providing a much stronger product specification. The basic idea is to place robust technology prototypes in realistic usage settings for a month or two, while doing a couple of design/development iterations with changes being informed by observed usage. This approach is integrated in the UITTL processes.

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Management and mentoring

We provide interim project management while the client need an experienced ethno-prototypers to get the new activities off the ground and gain momentum.

We help train less experienced staff within both technology and ethnography, helping them doing ethno-sensitive design or technology-sensitive fieldwork.

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Supporting thought leadership

We usually leave the thought leadership to our clients but offer a helping hand on providing research backing, either in the form of compelling prototypes or insights about people and markets. In this process we also work as sounding boards for the client's own ideators and thinkers, allowing them to leverage our substantial technology and HCI experience.

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Facilitating innovation

We help researchers and developers elevate product concepts to useful technology transfer proposals. Ideas for innovation are often based on solid experience in the field of research but typically they are not "ready for primetime" in terms of plausible usage scenarios and business cases.

One particular intensive format for this activity is the so-called Innovation Workshop where Kraka will conduct a field study, present the results to a smaller group of in-house developers, business people and/or executives, and organize work group activity to facilitate the creative flow.

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Rent-a-researcher

Do you just need an extra hand for a while? Possibly to help the company over an interim staffing shortage, or to leverage our experience in guiding junior staffers. So consider Renting-a-prototyper or Renting-an-ethnographer

Rent-a-prototyper

We help you do web site design, Java based programming, and designing/choosing software architectures for collaborative distributed/web-based application and hybrid architectures involving portable devices.

We help you design the prototyping activity with the right level of fidelity needed for the task.

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Rent-an-ethnographer

We help you design your user research, applying the most appropriate study methods, given the goals and the budget.

We help you conduct ethno-style fieldwork and also supplement with available secondary research.

We help you transform your qualitative use/user data into actual designs or action items.

These "rent-a-researcher" contracts are usually based on T&M rather than fixed pricing. Engagements involving programming / software development will need to be fairly concentrated to be cost effective. Engagements involving field studies are often fairly drawn out in calendar time due to issues of getting access to field sites.

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